Oak Park Workforce Academy concludes successful first offering
Published on August 11, 2026
The Village of Oak Park’s Office of Economic Vitality and Triton College’s School of Continuing Education have completed their inaugural offering of the Oak Park Workforce Academy, and the reviews are in: participants gave the Communication Masterclass for Frontline Employees high praise.
The workforce-training series ran for four consecutive weeks from July 14 to August 4 at the Village’s Office of Economic Vitality, 1010 Lake St. Designed for public-facing workers such as receptionists, cashiers, servers, hosts, baristas and customer service staff, sessions covered a variety of topics including Building Relationships, Persuasion & Sales, Managing Conflicts and Developing a Leader’s Mindset. Participants were awarded a certificate from Triton College upon completion.
The training was offered at no cost to employers and participants alike. Organizations that participated in the program included Café Cubano, Mosaic Counseling & Wellness, Wonder Works Children’s Museum, UPS Store Downtown Oak Park and America Cares Too.
“I want to recognize these organizations for sending their employees into our Academy,” said John C. Melaniphy, Assistant Village Manager of Economic Vitality. “Frontline employees carry a business’s reputation in every interaction they have with customers, and Oak Park businesses compete on the strength of their customer experience. When we invest in our workforce, we are investing in the health of the whole community.”
“I am proud that Triton’s School of Continuing Education has partnered with the Village of Oak Park to expand opportunities for the community," said Dr. Felicia L. Townsend, Dean of Triton College’s School of Continuing Education. "It is rewarding to see the positive impact this first cohort experienced, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration.”
Planning for the Academy’s next offering is already underway. Oak Park businesses and employees are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Economic Vitality or Triton College’s School of Continuing Education with ideas for future topics.
“Listening to the workforce about what they need is how good programming gets built,” said Laura Fisher, Director of the Center for Business and Professional Development at Triton College.
Oak Park businesses interested in enrolling staff in a future cohort can contact the Office of Economic Vitality at 708.358.5695 or economicvitality@oak-park.us, or Shelly Ng, Manager of Corporate Partnerships at Triton College, at 708.456.0300, ext. 3429, or ShellyNg@Triton.edu.
Additional information is available at www.oak-park.us/workforce.
About Oak Park - The Village of Oak Park, located just nine miles west of downtown Chicago, offers a distinctive urban/suburban lifestyle in a thriving, multi-cultural community. Well-known for progressive values, tree-lined streets and bustling business districts, Oak Park serves as an ideal place to live, work and play. As a longstanding community of choice, the Village benefits from convenient access to local and regional transit, high-quality public schools, and arts and cultural attractions, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio and his acclaimed Unity Temple, which was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.